


Break Me Down

by madrefiero



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes Recovering, F/M, Mother Hen Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, winterwitch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-07 08:00:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madrefiero/pseuds/madrefiero
Summary: AU Where Bucky doesn't go into cryo in Wakanda. All of Team Cap stays there to decompress. Thanks to Wanda's powers of mind control and manipulation, she's both the only one he fears, and the only one who can help undo his programming. Will he trust her enough to try?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a million to avenger-nerd-mom on tumblr for beta-reading this!
> 
> Rated M because there may be some hella violent flashbacks, and hopefully if these two cooperate, there will eventually be some smut.

Wanda stepped off the quinjet, still not quite back to herself after her time on the Raft. She kept her arms wrapped around herself, and stayed tucked securely between Steve and Clint. She didn't speak, her throat still sore from the shock collar that had been forced upon her to help control her when she was locked up. 

She used her powers to get a read on those who greeted them. King T'Challa had one of the most peaceful auras she's encountered the whole time she's had her powers. Now that they weren't fighting, he was welcoming and kind. Bucky Barnes was another story. He was happy to see Steve, but she couldn't get a clear read in him. It was as if he had two different people inside him, each trying to snuff the other out. There was so much pain inside him. 

She tilted her head, studying the conflicting readings he gave her, when suddenly she caught a massive wave of fear. His eyes were widened and his nostrils flared. Could he feel what she was doing? Not wanting to cause anyone any distress, she locked her powers down completely, but not before his wild eyes met hers. She gave him an apologetic look, and followed Steve inside so everyone could be shown to their quarters by the palace staff. As she split off from Steve, she heard the Soldier ask what her deal was, as if she hadn't fought alongside him in Berlin. A freak, that's what.

Alone in her room, everything she'd been holding in came flooding out. Sokovia, the bomb, her parents, her brother...God she missed him so. Pietro had been the glue that held Wanda together after their parents’ deaths. Without him, she felt like a China doll, cracked and so fragile that the lightest touch might cause her to shatter. It didn't help that she could hear inside the minds of everyone around her. While none of the Avengers explicitly thought ill of her, she was always aware that they walked on eggshells around her. 

She had a shower, but declined to attend dinner. She was too raw from her breakdown, too weakened by what she endured on the Raft to block everyone out. Being alone was easier. She was sitting on her bed with her knees drawn to her chest, lost in memories and melancholy when there was a knock on the door. 

“Wanda? Can I come in?” Steve called.

Wanda didn't answer verbally, just willed the door open and looked up at him from across the room. He had a tray of food with him, and judging by the look on his face, she was in for a pep talk whether she wanted it or not. 

“I'm not hungry,” she spoke softly, frowning as he set the tray down. 

Thankfully he didn't comment when she took a piece of fruit almost immediately. Her voice was still hoarse from the shock collar she'd been forced to wear. She'd never seen Steve so angry as he was when he saw it. She was surprised he hadn't single handedly sunk the Raft to the bottom of the ocean.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked.

She shook her head and took another piece of fruit. She nibbled at a few other items on the plate, wondering if he was staying to make sure she ate enough or to keep her company. She respected him too much to try to read his thoughts. KnowingSteve it was probably a little of both. When she'd eaten a little more than half of what he brought, she finally broke the silence.

“The Soldier is afraid of me.” She held her hand up when he looked as if he would tell her otherwise. “I'm used to that kind of reaction from people. I didn't mean to pry, but my defenses aren't too good right now.”

Steve let out a long sigh. While it wasn't his story to tell, he couldn't imagine Bucky would stay in the same room with Wanda long enough to explain. 

“HYDRA liked to mess around with his mind. They wiped his memories, tried to implant new ones. The fact that he's himself at all is a miracle. It's possible that he's had his mind poked and prodded so much that he could feel you in there. Your powers remind him too much of what was done to him.”

That explained his reaction. She would have to be extra careful around him in the future. She would walk on eggshells like everyone else did for her. She wondered if the Soldier would hate it as much as she did. 

“Tell him I'm sorry. Please?” She didn't have the energy to do it herself just yet.

“Yeah, okay,” Steve said, mussing her hair like he used to do to Bucky's little sister Becca. “Get some rest, kid. Call me if you need anything.” Reading her expression, he added, “I mean it.”

Wanda nodded, not relaxing completely until he was gone. She just needed a couple days of downtime to recuperate before she could control her powers properly again. She would rather isolate herself than make anyone else uncomfortable, especially someone who carried more pain than even she could imagine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love sad!Wanda so much, but sometimes I just need her to smile. 
> 
> Once again, massive thanks to avenger-nerd-mom on tumblr for doing the beta read. She's a doll!

It was three days before Wanda left her room. She hated being alone, the silence always made her miss Pietro more than normal. Her twin would have stayed with her throughout her self-imposed confinement, even if sitting still drove him mad with excess energy.

She wandered out to the common area, using her mind to read the room before she arrived. She could sense Steve and Clint there, the two of them were always warm and familiar to her, like a well-worn shirt. Scott was there too with his mind bouncing between excitement, awe, and a touch of sadness when he thought about how much he missed his daughter.

The Soldier, Barnes, she reminded herself, saw her before she realized he was there, and his panic hit her like a freight train. It took her a moment to separate his feelings from her own and stop the secondhand panic attack that threatened to send her to her knees.

_I won't hurt you. I'm a friend._ Wanda projected the thoughts at him instinctively, only remembering it was the wrong approach when he abruptly stood to leave. The image of an iron door slamming closed came through loud and clear as he retreated.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, defeated, while Steve headed out after his friend.

“Don't be too hard on yourself, Wanda. It's as much his head as yours.” Clint was only trying to help, but her mood already soured. It never took much for that to happen anymore. Had she always been this sensitive and Pietro had been her buffer?

The rest of the day passed uneventfully until Barnes took his plate and left when he saw her next to Steve at dinner. She tried not to take it personally, but she knew she was the reason he left. Maybe she should find somewhere else to take her meals. The palace was big enough that surely she could manage to avoid one man. It was either that or stop using her powers completely, and that's something she wasn't willing to do. She went to bed, worrying about what to do to feel at home, but not to make Barnes feel uncomfortable.

The next day was spent exploring Wakanda's market district. It was crowded and loud, almost overwhelmingly so, but it would be easier to avoid the Soldier here. He didn't trust himself not to be triggered in a crowd, so he stayed safely within the confines of the palace walls. While Wanda stood out among the people there, she felt like she could breathe again.

She tasted all the different foods she could find, danced with some children to a group of drummers, and generally immersed herself in the real Wakanda. She had never before been around this many people who were genuinely happy, and it had her almost euphoric. In that moment she was grateful for her gift, glad she got to experience something so uplifting.

By the time she returned to the palace, she'd bought an armful of clothes and a pound of specialty coffee for Clint. Not that he couldn't get whatever he asked for from King T'Challa, but she would always think of him as sort of an adopted father figure. He and Steve were the closest thing to family that she had.

Walking to the shooting range where she knew he would be at this hour, Wanda clung to the happiness she felt. It was a rare thing for her to smile as much as she had today, and she didn't want to stop just yet. She didn't bother feeling out the room before she entered, because Clint was Clint, and this was his favorite place in all of Wakanda.

“Clint?” His name rolled off her tongue, her Sokovian accent more pronounced since she was tired from the day's adventure. “I went down to the market and got you some co-”

She froze when it was Bucky Barnes who looked up at her instead of Clint. Dark hair framed his face, gray-blue eyes going wide as they met hers. He immediately took his rifle and went to put it away, clearly intent on fleeing her presence again. She locked down her powers, taking care not to accidentally read him.

“Sorry,” she said softly, apologizing not only for the interruption, but for their last few interactions. “I was just looking for Clint, I'll go.”

She was on her way out when he finally spoke. “Check his room. He told Steve he was going to call home.”

“Thanks.” She smiled before leaving him. The look on his face, while still skittish, at least hadn't been the brooding glares she was used to from him. It was small, but it was progress.


End file.
